While I do love fresh oregano in a lot of recipes, good Italian "gravy" ain't one of them. I just think the dried adds more & better traditional flavor. And I'm not even Italian - lol!!!

It depends on where you're from. Most basic tomato sauces from Italy (Sugo al Pomodoro) use either basil or thyme as their herb of choice for flavoring. Oregano in pomodoro sauce I believe, originated or was made popular in Naples, and was used to top pizzas with. You usually won't find oregano in pomodoro from Puglia, Campania, Sicily, etc.

I really prefer dried oregano for my sauces. If you happen to have some fresh on hand, I'd just add a bit of that at the very end to acentuate the deeper flavors of the sauce.
I think oregano is one herb that is is actually more flavorful when dried.

i agree that dried, usually imported dried oregano is the way to go with sauce.
oregano is a difficult herb to grow well for use as a fresh herb, in my experience. you need the proper kind of poor mountain soil and climate to get the plant to produce enough, and pleasent tasting essential oils.

you can grow huge oregano plants in nice rich soil, but the leaves will end up with a kind of non-descript grassy or weedy smell, rather than the desired slightly aromatic, herby, and earthy flavor of oregano.

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I am not sure why type it was. My brother gave it to me from his garden. The leaves were dark green and small with little hairs on them (fuzzy).

For my soil, I used some gardening mix on top of my soil that was already there (which was very dense like clay). The oregano was planted in a spot that gets sun in the early afternoon, but is in the shade the rest of the time. It was very small when I planted it and by the end of the season it took over that whole corner of the garden. Luckily that was a coner that was not being used by anything else. I hope it comes back this year. It was my favorite herb from last summer.

i may just have to make a trip to massatoothsets with a shovel and a bucket and steal a sample for examining.

ain't nothing like good fresh herbs.

i could swap a piece of my sage plantings. i lop off about half every year because it overgrows the herb box. the good part is that i tie the cuttings in bundles and dry them for incense. it not only tastes good but smells amazing as incense.

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May your kilt be short enough to do a jig, but long enough to cover your Lucky Charms.